Everyone in the world can believe something. Diane was diagnosed as being bipolar and subsequently diagnosed by a psychiatrist before sentencing. No OTHER reason. Makes major decisions easier because only one parent is legally responsible. And the flat affect and sometimes inappropriate smiling would come with the territory so you cannot judge her actions without taking into account that she might not have been acting according to the norms. By many accounts, her children adored her. A group of ladies formed a group called HELDD which stands for Help Exonerate & Liberate Diane Downs. The gun presented at trial being the wrong one is a fact. They would have welcomed them with open arms. Instead, the person accused of attacking them and wanting them out of her life, fought for them. Flash-forward to the present day. Carol Kirkwood shared an insight into her recent holiday to Norway with fianc Steve Randall on Wednesday as she shared their first social media post together.. It was demonstrated at trial that the shooter shot the kids at close range. Then feel free to correct the facts and to provide evidence to support them. Now she claims she was dating an FBI agent at the time, was holding some top secret pictures for him, and she was on the road to meet someone to pass them off, at the instruction of her FBI boyfriend. No matter how much Ive read, or how many of her constant at the time interviews I watch on YouTube, the things that come from her brain to her mouth never cease to amaze me. Downs is a worthless as the day is long.. Maybe you should read the blog before commenting. There were a few calls and on one occasion,Christie said They just, they knew that, you know, that she did it and I should say that she did it. When asked if she thought her mother did it or someone else did it, she replied, I dont know if she did it or someone else did, cause I dont know. Then Angel says: They told you that was the right thing to do, huh? Christie responds, But like the person, my attorney, and thats who Fred is, that Im living with, hes the guy, he works for me.. This is a more common route for children with parents who are incarcerated for what looks to be the entire childhood of the children. I do have to take issue with this article about Diane Downs. why didn't steve downs get custody. Christie was understandably all over the place and I agree that the way in which her statements were procured were very odd and seemed to be very coached. It was never a slam dunk. Ms. Downs makes every effort to avoid emotional stimuli in order to reduce the demands made on her. The american system often reminds me of what Charles Dickens talked about in his novels. Sad situation. (her family confirmed that she had a mood disorder, possibly bipolar 2), So when Dr. George Suckow from the Oregon State Hospital in Salem was called as a States rebuttal witness and he made a professional diagnosis of Diane as histrionics, antisocial and narcissistic, he openly said in court that he interviewed Diane for 1 hour and read evidence presented by the state to make his diagnosis.. Considering that the daughter she murdered will never get a second chance, it will never be long enough unless its for her entire life. During his travels, he visited prisons and spoke against this type of barbarism because his father was imprisoned for a debt of 40 pounds and 10 shillings when he was twelve years. A test for the presence of gunshot residue conducted on Dianes hands the night of the shooting, returned a negative result (Appendix 23). why didn't steve downs get custody. I think it would give the blog more integrity and transparency. When I hear some people say that they would have liked to smack that smirk off Dianes face when she interacted with the cops or the media, I sayreadthis to understand accounts of people laughing at the wrong time and how it is related to their personality disorder. It seems that not being American might help us view the case and Rules narrative with more objectivity. statement regarding the effects of the childrens medications while in hospital should acknowledge where the blogger obtained information about the side effects.). After the trial that convicted Diane Downs, Fred Hugi, the Prosecutor adopted Christie and Danny (they were in foster care for 2 years before he decided to adopt them), the two surviving children. He failed. So, why didn't Steve Downs get custody? One of them named Angel, called 15-year-old Christie on the phone. The lack of balance and objectivity. Why does the blogger not clarify this? And that Ann Rule took advantage of the situation to sell her book. I just tried to find a video or article about Hugi and I only get the one or two that I already have. She then went through the State (Circuit) Court habeas corpus relief for four years to no avail. Being interested in a subject without bringing emotions to the table is always the most important step. Messed. She has done her time in prison and I hope that she gets the chance to get out and spend time with her mother and siblings. According to Oregon law, this would have to be supported by a psychiatrists report or a Wardens letter and Diane provided both. Maybe she didnt want to admit she was there for drugs, but you need a really tiny brain to worry about that in such a situation. If the media was anything at the time it was favorable towards her. I think that looked at through a more objective lens, many aspects of the Downs case are highly questionable. And Im really not on the fence the little girl was coachedI believe the ex husband , his freinds, and her lovers were invalid either way. I wasnt there and the records will never be brought to light as far as the child welfare case. Seriously. Is it just to continue to punish her so long after she is obviously no longer a danger in any way to anyone? I agree about pregnancy and childbirth affecting women differently, and even having different effects for the same woman with different pregnancies. Seeing her giggle and laugh during a videoed reconstruction gave me, as a mother, a sickening feeling. Almost from day one, Diane was perceived as a cancer they had to remove. Did CK shoot at car when DD drove away? If appropriate family members could not be found to take placement of the children then family friends are the next step. There is a court sketch artists rendering of him in this video. It was pretty apparent during the course of this saga that the media and the state were willing to give a free pass to anyone willing to badmouth Diane. The fact that there was a rush to judgment, an investigation targeting only one result and a media coverage often presenting lies is very bothersome. I feel sorry for Diane too. But in my opinion, it shows how Diane was disturbed and could also have found a better path in life if given the chance and the right support. But I am so tired of the enough time has been served and other criminals have been paroled. No matter how horrible people think she is. The states own witness, Dr. George Suckow and Dr. Polly Jamison denounced Prosecutor Hugis practice as improper and unethical (Appendix 101 and 104). Rule even talked about writing a book about her but it never materialized. One of the jurors finally declared we started as a group and finished as a group., He also said we dont want to put pressure on the group, we dont want to end up bickering. After arriving at the nearest hospital where the nursing staff and doctors attended to the children, the police were called in and her parents arrived promptly. He separated from his wife and was going to follow Diane who, by now, had decided to move and work in Oregon to be closer to her parents. Bannon, a former adviser . I find it interesting for you to observe this because it should be more scientific and empirical today than it was in the 80s, but is it really? These are no facts its partial truths and conjecture. Fred Hugi was pretty upset when Ann Rule went Hollywood with his case. I think that the time she has served and her good behavior made her eligible for parole. Feb. 4, 2022 -- An analysis from a trio of economists says pandemic lockdowns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did little to reduce the number of COVID-related deaths. What was the rationale behind this? Susan, I dont know if there ever was a lawsuit against Ann Rule from the Fredericksons family. If you had, you would clearly know that I do not claim her guilt or innocence. It was cited that she keeps her emotions close to the vest. Maybe dad relinquished, it sounds like he may have. Celebrity Author Covers Case Ann Rule wrote 'Small Sacrifices,' later released as a movie. I recently found your website and have enjoyed it a lot. They checked her nails to see if she could have buried the gun and they were clean. From the time Diane was a teenager, when a physician ordered visterol in an emergency room situation, it has been documented again and again that sedatives ingested while Diane is in pain, provoke a chemically induced hysteria in her. A prosecutor inventing a new psychiatric category in court and labeling the accused is kind of unsettling. Yes, dad relinquished his rights but he knew that they loved their grandparents and had allowed Diane to take them for a visit without telling the authorities. They already had made up their mind that Diane was the perpetrator so they laughed off the idea of the bushy haired stranger. The problem was that they could not find the gun anywhere and they had nothing on Diane. The harm done to families by unscrupulous district attorneys who bully children into falsely testifying against their parents has been recorded in a documentary called Witch Hunt by Sean Penn about Kern County (CA) District Attorney Ed Jagels. The best policy for Diane Downs would have been to remain silent, but she fought back and smiled at the wrong time and according to them, enjoyed the attention. Yes, I had filed for divorce and then I canceled it. They should have looked for a possible accomplice and checked all the leads. Fingerprints at the crime scene were not produced by the State. I also wish that Dianes children have a great life. I research cases that in my opinion, were poorly tried. It was a dark and rural road. A. He strung her along, played with both womens emotions, and after saying he would join her in Oregon, reneged and stayed with his wife. TIL On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs shot her three children and drove them at 5-7 mph to the hospital. I was raised by an evil narcissist and have not only seen this kind of behavior before, but I have seen the face of the devil and it is a look of pure evil that gives me the creeps. Anne Rule made a big deal of a brass unicorn engraved with the childrens names that Diane had purchased. Those cases shouldnt have been in the same court let alone presided over by the same judge. It opened a huge can of worms regarding the real identity of the heart full of lies in this case. Interesting that the article has one of the same elements that Diane perpetrated when she drove to the hospital the night of the murders she made more of a fuss about her arm injury than she did about one of her kids dying and two of them being gravely and permanently wounded. In an earlier comment you stated that Diane had met all of the requirements for parole. The chief prosecutor adopting the children beggars belief! Criminalist James Pex was pretty clear about this. And Robert Knickerbocker became one of her lovers. They lied about the ballistics. What a terrible injustice. She was still trying to extricate herself from a bad relationship with Steve Downs and was in no hurry to repeat the mistake. Q. And if you add the fact that they never found the gun, it doesnt leave much evidenceto back upthe theory that she was the shooter. Maybe that her mom was obviously not well after spending her life in prison so it would have been a good idea to meet the Downss family quietly and get the jest of it. While Rules book is biased, it was a look into the view of those who wanted justice for those children, wether you agree w/ their conclusion or not, that was their goal. I am so tired of the victims being forgotten. I would like to believe this is the truth. What they did to her daughter is unconscionable. This is an extremely tragic case and her children at the very least deserve justice. She had not fired a gun. This was the prosecution and conviction of (Elizabeth) Diane Downs who has now been incarcerated for too many years in one of Californias (overcrowded) State prisons. Considering the circumstances, it is difficult not to be a bit cynical about this grand gesture. If there is one thing Diane knew about her lover, is that he was fickle and did not like trouble of any kind. And thats fair enough. Any thoughts on that? It was kind of interesting to hear Mossimo Giannullis lawyer pleading to have his client sent home or put in general population because his mental health suffered drastically in solitary confinement because of covid after 56 consecutive days in solitary. That is the reason effective trial counsel challenges the competency of a nine-year-old child to testify in a court of law. U seem very one sided on every case Ann Rule has ever written just as u claim she did to u. N her parents didnt want custody of the children just like the father. Her daughter told the media she watched Small Sacrifices several times. Anne Rule might have inflamed the case with her book Small Sacrifices and her theory of the crime, but in reality, the case of Diane Downs was no small sacrifice. That she had no blood or gun powder anywhere when she allegedly shot at close range? In fact, what investigator Tracy had written in his notes is that the heart monitor jumped because of excitement or intense fear. If she was the shooter, it had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Once you are vilified in the media in the US, the way Downs and others have been, a lot of people shut their eyes and their mind to any other possibility than what was presented in the court of public opinion. The two mental disorders that cause excessive talking are Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. If it was not such a high profile case, Diane Downs would have been paroled a long time ago, considering her good behavior and lack of priors. So they did everything in their power to slant the media and the public in their favor. The bushy haired stranger that police had gotten a lead on worked at the country club he was at work at that time and had a sever speech impediment. And after Diane left Arizona she didnt call Knick to inquire about his love, but rather about when he would repay the $500 (Appendix 81, pages 1479-1480). Everything I outlined should be public knowledge. If Hugi got attached to the children, why did he wait 2 years when little Christie was starting to say she had no clue who shot them? When analysing this blog, look at three statements from the blogger: Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts Due process always matters. Q. Years later, seven witnesses signed affidavits telling of a man named Jim Haynes continuing confessionthat he wasthe shooter, and his appearance boresimilarities to the sketch. Diane Downs and Alice Crummins were considered sluts and cold-blooded women and were judged on their unusual character. answer the question why didn't steve downs get custody, which will help you get the most accurate answer. John Shea who played Fred in the TV movie Small Sacrifices even looks like him. While not evidence of guilt or innocence, it is certainly worth noting as part of the overall wrongs perpetrated during this fiasco of a trial and subsequent appeals. Thank you Lise. The blog tries to bring balance and more objectivity to a case that was TOTALLY one sided and still is. Strangely enough, a woman who was seen for 8 months by a psychologist and declared to be in shock and suffering from a mood disorder, would now be assessed by the State hired psychiatrist to confirm the label Hugi conveniently made up during trial. The definition of deviant sociopath does not even exist in the DSM-HI, which is the official psychiatric diagnostic manual. We could say that it was suggestive on his part, but considering how this trial was conducted, I tend to believe it happened. As a result, he decided not to attend the rest of the trial. As a suggestion, I would love to see a like or dislike button for each comment. Thats the point. Rule sued the Seattle Weekly after they published the article titled Ann Rules Sloppy Storytelling, but she lost and had to make restitution. Many troubling elements of the case were discovered after the trial, but there was enough during the proceedings to be asking questions. Theres a lot to be said here, still. Imagine knowing that your adoptive dad was responsible for putting your natural mom in the slammer? The DA that put away their mom is not an appropriate placement choice. It would be about November 20th that you would have gone back with Charlene, what, the next day? They did not like her attitude and she did not behave the way they expected a grieving mother to act. Also Im curious as to how you feel her repeated escape attempts should affect her deserving to be on parole. BUT the babies were put in Foster Care before any allegations were made Family has defended and backed Diane for her Innocence clearly from day one The state took them away from all family because family was and is the enemy Washing soda is your best bet: It includes, among its ingredients, the exceedingly corrosive carbolic acid. May be the guy who says he did it. Much worse. You do not have to agree with my general opinion outside of the facts of the case, but I would appreciate some comments on what matters; how this case was handled at trial and during the investigation. It was faulty. Lets also remember that this is the US of A and we dont lock people up for being narcissistic, antisocial histrionic individuals. They now throw people in prison in the US for debts. As Ms. Patterson left the stand, Diane complained to her attorney that Ms. Patterson had lied under oath. Foote refused 30 to 50 reports by detectives of sightings or leads about the shooter but admitted reports from people in Arizona willing to badmouth Diane. In fact, I am surprised that people are not flabbergasted by the way this case was handled and tried and that what bothers them most is that I try to discuss it in a blog and dare defending this woman. Why? The fact that the accused in this case was atypical, makes her the perfect target. The blog I read is all about the improprieties and flat out misconduct in Dianes trial (and the way Ann Rule profited off of it with fiction). The prescribed normal dosage for a full grown man is 30 milligrams per day. Diane was cooked the minute she walked in that courtroom. We talked about Steve's love of Marvel films and we joked about the staff knowing we were on a blind date because the waitress had . Not optional, kids should not be in limbo that long, but it happens all the time. 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